Reasons Your Photos Aren’t Sharp (And How to Fix Them)

"How can I make my photos look sharper?" or "Why don’t my photos look as sharp as yours?"

In today’s post, I’m going to break down six main reasons your photos aren’t sharp—plus how to fix them! These tips apply to any camera—whether you’re shooting on a DSLR, mirrorless, or even a beginner setup.

To make things simple, I’ve grouped these reasons into two main categories:

1. External Factors

2. Internal Camera Settings

Let’s dive in!

EXTERNAL REASONS YOUR PHOTOS AREN’T SHARP

1. Your Gear Is Dirty

This is one of the easiest issues to fix—and something you should be doing before every single photoshoot.

Even if you're careful, using your camera and changing lenses inevitably causes dust, fingerprints, or mist to collect on your lens. This affects image clarity.

What to do:

• Clean both the front and back elements of your lens.

• Use a lens cleaning kit or microfiber cloth.

• Don’t forget to clean between your lens and any attached filters.

2. Using Low-Quality Filters

Whether it's a UV, ND, or polarizing filter—low-quality filters can introduce:

• Lens flares

• Reduced sharpness

• Color shifts

Try this test:
Take the same photo with and without the filter on a tripod, then compare the sharpness on your computer.

If you regularly switch filters, make sure to also clean the inner glass surface between your lens and filter.

3. Your Lens Might Not Be Sharp

Not all lenses are created equal. Some are inherently soft—especially vintage lenses not built for today’s high-resolution sensors.

What to try:

• Step down your aperture (e.g. from f/1.4 to f/2.8) for improved sharpness.

• Experiment to find the "sweet spot" of your lens—usually around f/4 to f/8 for most lenses.

INTERNAL CAMERA SETTINGS THAT AFFECT SHARPNESS

4. Aperture Choices

Shooting wide open at f/1.2 or f/1.4 creates beautiful depth of field—but also an extremely narrow plane of focus.

For example, in a close-up portrait:

• The iris may be sharp.

• But the eyebrow or even the tip of the nose may fall out of focus.

Solution:

• Use a slightly narrower aperture like f/2 or f/2.8 to maintain background blur and get more of the face in focus.

• Avoid going too narrow (like f/22), which can lead to diffraction, making your images soft again.

Pro Tip:
Set your camera on a tripod and test various apertures to discover your lens’ sharpest setting.

5. Motion Blur

There are three types of motion blur to watch out for:

a) Camera Shake

If your whole photo is blurry from foreground to background, you likely moved the camera during exposure.

Fix:

• Use a tripod for stationary shots.

• Use a faster shutter speed. I recommend at least 1/200 sec for handheld portraits.

• Adjust based on your stability and lens focal length.

b) Subject Movement

If only the subject is blurry, they’re likely moving too fast for your current shutter speed.

Fix:

• Ask your subject to pause briefly between poses.

• Increase shutter speed for motion (e.g. 1/400 or faster for walking shots).

c) Focal Length Rule

The longer your focal length, the higher your chances of blur.

Rule of Thumb:
Double your focal length to find the minimum shutter speed.
E.g. for a 200mm lens, use at least 1/400 sec.

6. Autofocus Settings

Your focus mode can drastically affect sharpness.

Know the difference:

• Single Shot / One-Shot AF (Canon): Focus locks when you half-press the shutter. Best for still subjects.

• Continuous AF / AI-Servo (Canon): Focus continuously adjusts as you or your subject move. Best for moving subjects or handheld portraits.

Shooting at wide apertures (like f/1.2) makes focus even more sensitive. Slight movements (even a few millimeters) can cause blur.

Use continuous autofocus if:

• You move a lot while shooting.

• Your subject moves.

• You’re shooting handheld with shallow depth of field.

BONUS: Sony Autofocus Settings

If you're using a Sony mirrorless camera, check out:

• Subject Shift Sensitivity

• Focus Transition Speed

These help manage focus when there are multiple people or moving subjects in your frame—great for events and weddings.

Final Thoughts

And that’s it!
If your photos haven’t been looking sharp, I hope these tips give you a clear direction on what to check and adjust.

💡 Quick Recap:

• Clean your gear

• Test/remove filters

• Know your lens limitations

• Adjust aperture smartly

• Avoid motion blur

• Use the right autofocus mode

If you have any questions, drop them in the comments. 

Thanks so much for reading, and happy shooting!